The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1887-01-06
cARD-sHARPING.



seme Of the Principal Tricks Practiced by
Professional RascaIs.
Card-sharping is the easiest thing
going. 1t only requires a good pres
ence, though even that can be dis
pensed with quick eye, certain
amount of GOODNESS and practice
There are several ways. The principal
things are, no matter what the game
may be, to "ready'' the pack, and to
avoid or neutralize the cut. Take
ecarte. The object to be attained is to
get the eighth, ninth, tenth and elev-
enth cards from the top to be of the
same suit. The ''readying" always oc-
ours after the first hand and out of the
eleven cards which lie with their faces
uppermost on the table, it is not diff
cult to spot four good cards and place
them on the top of the pack. In the
course of the shuttle seven more cards
are placed on the top of these.
The next thing is to avoid or
neutralize the cut, which is not
SO difficult as may appear when
accompanied by pleasant "patter." !"
which is necessary to all tricks. Tho
pack is now ''readied," and when dealt
it will be found that the tenth, ninth
and eighth cards, which are in the
dealers hand, are of the same suit as
the eleventh card, which he turns up as
trumps.
The means of neutralizing the cut,
when it can not be avoided, are called
the "bridge" and "pass." When the
pack is ''readied," and the sharp sees
he can not avoid the cut, he takes some
fifteen cards from the bottom of the
pack, which he holds in his hand. These
| fifteen cards he bends slightly length
ways, so as to form slight curve and
throws them carelessly on the pack.
The odds are about one hundred to one
that his adversary will cut the fifteen
bent cards and leave the "readied'
pack in its original position. The trick
| is sometimes performed backwards, as
if the sharp were cutting himself, by
| mistake, after shutting
The "pass" is not so easy, and is per
formed by sleight-of-hand. When the
cards are "readied," the pack is pre-
sented to be cut. When this is done
two portions are on the table, and it il
for the sharp who is dealing to readjus1
them into one pack. This he does il
the following way: He takes up. the
"readied' cards in his right hand and
passes them to his left hand. He ther
takes up the remaining cards with hi:
right hand, apparently as if to place
them on top of the "readied" cards
Instead of doing so, however, he, by /;
ght-of-hand which is performed will
the tip of the little finger of his lief
hand, and quick movement of th'
other fingers, which could not be ex
planned in print, manages to revers,
the two portions, thus leaving th'
"readied'' cards in their original posi-
ton on the top, as they were befor
the pack was cut.
Another way of sharpening is yer.
popular in baccarat, and is called tn
"slip'' or "second pulling This i
performed with marked cards, or wha
are called readers" The most in,
portant cards-namsly, the eights
mines, tens and court cards-are mark
ed in a way that no one but the peo
pie ''in the know" could possibly dis
cover. A great deal of skill is neces
sary in dealing, SO that the gree cal
deal himself, if required, the "seeon'
pullers'' or marked cards from ever
the second, third or fourth cards down
while all the time appearing to he'll
himself honestly from the top. Thes
marked cards or readers are mad
and sold largely in America by circu
lar, and a single pack costs as much a
a ''fver." Recently well-known clu
man received a circular from one O
these scoundrelly firms, in which the
offered him large commission on al
orders which he obtained.
One of the best recognized, but mos
risky modes of sharping at cards,
what is called ''the drunken mug.
The best way of explaining it will b
to give an example which occurred
few years ago at a well-known water
ing-place. The "nug" was induced
play in his own rooms with thre
sharps, who had singled him out fo
slaughter. The game was not for read
money, and the "mug" was mad
drunk by dropping salt in his liquor
The next morning one of the sharper
called on him and proffered him S6(
which he professed to have lost ovel
night to the mug" The ''mug," nc
suspecting or remembering any thing
took the money, and thought the shar
very decent fellow. Not very Ion
after, however, the two other sharp
called upon him and presented winnin
accounts for $500. The mug sa,
the. game Immediately, and was on tn
point of refusing to pay, when he It
membered that he had incautiously ae
cepted the other mans 500, and ha
put himself out of court. The sharp
knew with whom they were dealing
and had risked the $50 to catch til
$500. The mug to avoid furthc
trouble, wrote a check for $500, bu
found out afterward that the men wer
well known as flash sharpers.-Toc
Topics.
At the Powder Magazine.